Pedal-gate for pianos.



T. W. VRANA.

PEDAL GATE FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11. 1916.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Mill;

7 ATTORNEYS THEODORE W. VIRANA, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

PEDAL-GATE FOR, PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed June 17, 1916. Serial No. 104,250.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE 1V. VRANA, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Pedal-Gate for Pianos, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to means for preventing mice from entering a piano through the openings provided for the displacement of the pedals.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive gate which will normally close the pedal opening in the piano without in any way interfering with the operation of the pedal.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combina tion and arrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary section through a piano at the pedal provided with an embodiment of my invention, which structure v is also shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the pedal and the gate in displaced position;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 83, Fig. 1:

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4, Fig. 2, a portion of the piano bottom being broken out to show the spring which operates the gate;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the gate member support; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the gate member.

Referring to the drawings, 7 is a piano pedal of any suitable form for which a suitable opening 8 is made in the piano body to allow freedom of movement to the pedal. A spring 9 normally tends to maintain the pedal against the upper edge of the opening whereat a pad 10 is provided. The sides and bottom of the opening are preferably padded also, to reduce any noise that may be caused by the movement of the pedal.

To prevent mice from entering through the part of the opening remaining exposed when the pedal is at the upper edge, I provide a gate member 11, the upper edge of which member has a flange 12 to engage the pedal. The gate member 11 is mounted to slide in a support 13. The support has a lateral, rearwardly directed flange 1 1 at its upper edge whereby it is secured to the piano body. At the lower edge the support has a tongue 15 which slants rearwardly and forms a seat for one end of a spring 16. The spring may be soldered or otherwise secured to the tongue with one end. The spring is looped, and the other free end thereof projects through a slot 17 formed in the tongue and partly in the body of the support. The end of the spring projects also through a slot 18 formed in the lower end of the gate member. The tendency of the spring is to maintain the flange 12 against the pedal 7 The lower edge of the gate member has preferably flanges 19 to each side of the slot which are adapted to engage the guiding parts of the support and thereby limit the movement of the gate member in the support 13 under the action of the spring.

The displacement of the pedal 7 will force the gate member to slide in the support 13, consequently straining the spring 16. (See Fig. 2). vVhen the pedal is released, the spring 16 will bring the gate member against the pedal and thereby obstruct the passage through the opening 8 below the pedal, thus preventing any mice from entering through said opening. The front of the piano body at the openings may be covered with metal in addition, if so desired, to prevent any at tack by the mice on the piano body at the openings.

I claim:

A gate for the pedal openings of pianos, comprising a support having a rearwardly directed lateral flange at one end thereof, a rearwardly slanting tongue at the other end of said support, a gate member slidably mounted in the support, said gate member having a flange at the upper edge thereof for engaging the pedal, and a spring, one end of which is secured to said tongue, said support having a slot through which the other end of the spring projects to engage the gate member to maintain the gate member against the pedal across the opening.

THEODORE W. VRANA.

Goples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, .D. G. 

